Starbucks wants to use AI to show you a ‘personalized digital menu’ at the drive-thru
News Source
•2026-10-30T13:38:04-04:00
📰 What Happened
On Starbucks' earnings call, CEO Brian Niccol said the company will explore 'experiences that recognize participating customers as they arrive, present personalized digital menus, and make payment more effortless' at the drive-thru. From 2027 Starbucks will also test background AI models that help baristas input orders more accurately and efficiently.
🔍 The Backstory
Starbucks already lets customers order through ChatGPT and has rolled out an AI-powered Green Dot Assist tool that staff use to ask questions about recipes and service standards. Rivals are moving the same way: Taco Bell is testing menus that change on a car-by-car basis, and McDonald's is piloting an 'ArchIQ' chatbot that recognises repeat customers and recalls their usual order.
🎯 Why It Matters
The plans extend Starbucks' bet that AI can cut service times and lift order accuracy, but personalised menus require identifying customers at the speaker box, raising privacy questions the company has not addressed. Niccol stressed it is still 'early', saying the company will 'test, learn, and scale what works'.
On Starbucks' earnings call, CEO Brian Niccol said the company will explore 'experiences that recognize participating customers as they arrive, present personalized digital menus, and make payment more effortless' at the drive-thru. From 2027 Starbucks will also test background AI models that help baristas input orders more accurately and efficiently.
Starbucks already lets customers order through ChatGPT and has rolled out an AI-powered Green Dot Assist tool that staff use to ask questions about recipes and service standards. Rivals are moving the same way: Taco Bell is testing menus that change on a car-by-car basis, and McDonald's is piloting an 'ArchIQ' chatbot that recognises repeat customers and recalls their usual order.
The plans extend Starbucks' bet that AI can cut service times and lift order accuracy, but personalised menus require identifying customers at the speaker box, raising privacy questions the company has not addressed. Niccol stressed it is still 'early', saying the company will 'test, learn, and scale what works'.